This invention has particular, but not exclusive application to gear boxes in which a multiplicity of gears, intermeshing with one another, are off set vertically from one another. In such gear boxes, lubrication of the upper gears and bearings has always been a problem. Lubricant can be pumped to the upper gear shaft bearings and to the gears themselves, but that requires an active mechanism. The gear case can be completely filled with oil, but that requires either assiduous attention to the oil level or an external reservoir, and multiplies the problems of leakage. The housings of such gear boxes are frequently made of cast iron or aluminum, and the bearings themselves have been either bushed or rolling element type bearings. The gears have generally been made of metal, and are subject to breakage if the bearings seize or the gears themselves are not properly lubricated.
It is an object of the invention to provide a passive bearing lubrication system that provides adequate lubrication to all of the bearings of a multi-gear housing from the rotation of the gears in the housing.
Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the following description and accompanying drawing.